Hitting still has a value to the Penguins, even if it’s not easily quantifiable

By Seth RorabaughMar 1, 201916

BUFFALO — Things didn’t start smoothly for Erik Gudbranson in the initial stages of his first morning skate as a member of the Penguins on Friday.

As the team began line and pair rushes at KeyBank Center, Gudbranson moved through the neutral zone and crisscrossed with Evgeni Malkin. Trying to avoid contact, Malkin raised his stick and CLACK! He clipped Gudbranson’s helmet.

It was a fairly minor instance of contact. Gudbranson simply adjusted his visor and chuckled about the collision as he made his way to the benches, allowing a new defensive pairing to take the ice.

“You got to get your stick way up to get it up over my head,” Gudbranson said. “That’s why we wear helmets.”

Such is life for those in the mesosphere with a 6-foot-5 frame on skates.

Another reality of existence for an NHLer with Gudbranson’s dimensions — he also weighs a lean 217 pounds — is hitting. He simply has to do it in...